Improvement in narrow-ware looms



UNITED STATES EUFUS E. FowLEn, oF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS. y

IMPROVEMENT IN NARRW-WARE LOOIVIS.`

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 144,6] 0, datedNovember 18, 1873 application filed August 19, 1873.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Burns B. FowLER, of Worcester, in the county ofWorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvementsin Looms for Weaving Narrow Fabrics, of which the following is aspecica` tion: f

My invention relates to certain improvements in that class of looms usedfor weaving narrow fabrics, in which the shuttle runs in or upon acircular shuttle-race; and it also relates to certain devices fordetecting the absence of the weft-thread, or the want of a propertension in the same; and consists, first, of the combination, with acurved shuttle-race and curved shuttle, of the vertical cylinderscontaining the sliding pins actuated by the annular plates, andconnected by means of a radial arm with an operating-spindle, all soarrangedand operated thatthe shuttle iscaused to pass through the warp,as hereinafter described; second, of the combination, with a curvedshuttle-race, of a series of weft-detecters,7 being `a pair of metallicfingers for each shuttle, suitably connected with one pole of a galvanicbattery; third, of the combination of the weft-detecters with certaindevices, hereinafter described, the same being connected with the movingparts of the loom, and operated in such a manner that the weight of theweft-detecters may be sustained, except at `such times as theweft-threads are broughtcarrier, with a sectional view of the verticalhollow cylinder, showing the sliding pin and Spiral spring in theirproper positions. Fig. 7 shows a sectional view of the shuttle-race.Figs. 8,9, and 10 show views of the shuttle upon the top, bottom, andconcave sides, respectively. Fig. 11 is a plan view of a portion of theloom. D is the lay, which swings for-` f ward and backward upon pivotsat the bottom, which motion is communicated through the link G by thelever H, which receives its motion from the disk H', having a cam-grooveupon its side, (not shown,) and so constructed that, during everyalternate quarter-revolution of the disk H and main shaft (l, the lay D,with the batten E, carrying the reed, is made to advance and retreat,for the purpose of beating up the weft-thread. F is an eccentric barturning upon a pivot atFZ, the end at F having a rising-and-fallingmotion, imparted by,

the revolutions of the eccentric F1. (Shown by dotted lines in Fig. l.)The end of the bar F is attached to the harnesses, and a proper motionis thereby communicated to the threads of the warp to form the shed. Iis a lever, turning upon the same center as the ratchetwheel J. Alifting motion is communicated to the lever I by the cam K, which is soformed, as shown in Fig. 1, that the rising motion of .the lever I shallbe slower than the falling motion. An intermittent rotary motion will'be given to the ratchet-wheel J by the action` of the lever I and thepawls el and el, which is imparted to the take-up rolls M2 by thespurwhcel J 2 and pinion J 3, Fig. 3. The woven fabric passes around theunder side of the rolls M2, and is firmly held against them by thedevice shown in Fig. 1, consisting of the frictionroll M, lever M1, andspiral spring L. N is a horizontal bar sliding in guides at each end,which are securely fastened to the frame A A.l Upon the bar N arefastened the short racks w w w, Fig. 4, placed at proper distancesapart, and meshing into the pinions O O O, which are fastened upon thelower extremity of the vertical spindles P, (shown by the dotted line iuFig. 1,) of which there is one for each shuttle; The sliding bar N has asmall roller, Q, pivoted upon its under side, and working 1n thecam-groove 1" in the drum r, placed upon the main shaft C, by which areciprocating motion is imparted to the bar N. The cam-,groove r is soformed that during a quarter-revolution of the drum r the bar N willhave a lateral movement to the right, and during the alternatequarter-revolution a similar movement to the left, while during theintervening timethe bar will remain at rest. A lateral motion is thusimparted to they racks w w w, sufficient to turn the pinions O O 0 eachone-half of a revolution forward and backward. At the upper W extremityof the vertical spindle P is iixed a radial arm, to which is attachedthe cross-bar Q, having at each end a vertical hollow cylinder, S S,placed at equal distances from the center of the spindle P, and eachcarrying a small sliding pin, R. The pins R R are made slightly largerat the bottom, forming a shoulder, and also allowing a space in thecylinder S around each pin, in which a spiral spring, t', may be placed,if desired, for the purpose of thrusting` the pin downward. In thelarger portion of the pin, and extending from the lower extremity towithin a short distance of the shoulder, is cut a groove, (not shown,)in which the end of the small set-screw t projects, to prevent the pinfrom falling out, and also from turning around in the cylinder S. Theabove-described device, consisting of the spindle P, the radial arm andcross-bar Q, the vertical hollow cylinders S S, and the pins R R, Idenominate the shuttle-carrier.77

Directly above the shuttle-carriers are placed circular plates 7c k la,fastened at their sides to that portion of the loom usually termed thebreast-beam.77 lUpon the upper side of these circular plates are securedcurved T-shaped rails c c, each forming the arc of a circle, whosecenter corresponds with the center of the vertical spindle P. Betweenthe rails c c, and extending back a short distance past the center ofthe circular plate, is an opening, k' k c, wide enough to admit the warpto be woven, and also to allow the reed to enter for the purpose ofbeating up the weft-thread.

The shuttle T (shown in Fig. l, also on the.

center shutter-race in Fig. 2, and in detail in Figs. 8, 9, and l0)consists of a curved plate, forming an arcv of about one-third of acircle, whose curvature corresponds with that of the curved rails c c.On the under side of this plate is a T-shaped groove, so formed as toallow the shuttle to move freely upon the rails c c, and alsol to holdit firmly to the shuttlerace. The under side of the plate is beveled ateach end, as at c2, Figs. 9 and l0, to allow it to enter the shed morereadily. Upon the concave side of the plate is placed a lug, g',supporting a short spindle, d1, upon which the bobbin u, Figs. l and 2,turns. The upper central portion of the plate is cut away, as at f', soas to allow the bobbin containing the weft to rest directly upon the topof the rail o, thus'reducing the lthickness of' the shuttle and bobbin,and requiring a less shed toallow them to pass freely, therebydecreasing the strain upon the warp by the operation of the harness.Projecting outwardly from each end of the plate are lugs a a, havingholes to receive the pins R R, and so placed that when theshuttle-carrier and shuttle are moved simultaneously the lugs a, a willalways remain directlyover the vertical hollow cylinders S S.

VAcross the shuttle-frame, from end to end, is

stretched a heavy wire, v, slightly raised in the center, and soarranged as to receive the pressure of the upper warp-threads of theshed and prevent their being caught by the bobbin u as the shuttlepassesl through the warp. Under the center of the guard-,wire v isplaced the eduction-eye d2, Fig. l0, for the purpose of keeping theweft-thread in its proper position; and as the weaving should beperformed as near as possible in the center of the circle described bythe movement of the shuttle, the line of the weft-thread from the fabricto the bobbin will very nearlycorrespond with the radius of the circle.YAny of the known devices suitable forthe purpose may be used for thepurpose of maintaining a proper and constant tension of the weft-thread.The rotary movement of the shuttle from one side of the web to the otheris accomplished as follows: Immediately beneath the vshuttle-carrier,and on a plane parallel with that of the circular plates k la k,hereinbefore described, are placed annular plates b I), whose curvaturecorresponds with the circle described by the vertical hollow cylinders S'S in rotating around the spindle P.v These annular plates are cut awayin front for a distance equal to and corresponding with t-he opening k k7a', in order to allow the swinging motion of the batten E. The ends ofthe plate on each side of the opening are bent downward, b b', (moreclearly shown by the dotted lines b in Fig. 1,) the whole forming acam-track, over which the pins R R pass, and by means of which they arepressed upward to engage the lugs a a of the shuttle T.` The inclinedplanes b' b( allow the pins R R to pass downward as they approach theweb upon either, side,`i1npelled by their own weight, or by the spiralspring fv, Fig. 6. As the shuttle-carrier rotates one-half of arevolution about the spindle P, the forward pin will pass downward andbeneath the lower warp-threads, while the following pin will impel theshuttle forward Aupon the rails c 0,'and through the shed formed toreceive it. The forward pin, yafter passing the web, is pressed upwardby the inclined plane on the opposite side to engage the shuttle beforethe following pin has fallen low enough toclear it. While passing underthe warp land over the open space between the two inclined planes b b',the pins R R are prevented om falling out of the cylinders S S by thesmall set-screws t. Thus, with every semi-revolution of the shutwill bepassed from one side of the` warp to the other, moving around upon thecurved rails c c.

Having thus fully described the construc-- tion of those parts of theloom which embody my invention, and their mode of operation in theprocess of weaving, I now proceed to describe the construction andoperation of the device forming that portion of the loom called theweftstop mechanism.77

Upon the breast-beam of the loom I arrange the iin gers W W', made ofany material that is a good conductor of electricity. These 1ingers turnfreely upon the pins i c' c', and extend forward, one upon each side ofthe opening k, a short distance past the center of the circular plate. Journaled in horizontal bearings at the front side of the breast-beam isthe spindle m spindle m m, and to the barrel n, are attached the bentrods X' and X, respectively. Upon these bent rods, which I termlifting-bars, rest the fingers W W W and W' W' W', and by them thefingers are sustained in a position to allow the weft-thread to passunder the ends of the iin gers. These lifting-bars X and X' are heldagainst the fingers W and W' by the action of the spiral springs p p1,-or, as is preferable, the'bars X and X' may be raised by the action of asin gle blade-sprin g placed beneath the bars, and fastened to thebreast-beam of the loom, as shown at p2 in Fig. 11 of the accompanyingdrawings. From the spindle m m, and the barrel n, the levers y and y'extend downward to the side of the drum r. Upon the side of the drum yare two pins, s and s'. The pin s is shorter than s', and the lever y'is bent down lower than the lever y, as shown in Fig. l, so arranged inorder that the pins may strike the lever 1, and not the lever y', andthe pins s' the lever y', and not the lever y. The pins s and s' areplaced at opposite sides in the circumference of the drum r, so that apin will strike one of the levers y and y' at every halfrevolution ofthe drum r. Near the center of as they pass over the lifting-bar X', sothat.

they rest only upon the bar X, and the iingers W' W' W' are similarlybent as they pass over the bar X, so that they rest only upon the barX'. This curvature of the ngersW and W' is shown at O', Fig. l.

` The general operation of this device is as follows: When theshuttleshave brought the weft-threads under the fingers W W W, the

pin s' is made to strike the bent lever y, pressing it outward, and thusturning the barrel n slightly upon the spindle m m, and depressing thelifting-bar X, allowing the fingers W`W W to fall and rest upon theweft-threads. In ease any of the weftthreads are absent or lack therequired tension, the corresponding pin will fall until it touches thewirel h, when the electrical circuit will be completed, and an alarm maybe given to attract the attention of the operator; or the loom 1may bestopped by causing the belt to be transferred from the fixed to theloose pulley by any suitable mechanism known and used for the purpose.As the weft-thread is removed from beneath the fingers W W W, the pin s'passes the lever y, and the lifting-bar X is then raised by the spiralspring p, or by the blade-spring p2, Fig. 11, and the lever y' thrownforward to receive the stroke of the pin s' at the next revolution ofthe drum 1^. As the weftthreads are brought beneath the lingers W' W'W', the stroke of the pin s upon the lever y depresses the lifting-barX', which is again raised at the proper time by the spiral spring p1, orby the blade-spring p2, Fig. 1l, in the same manner as has already beendescribed. The lingers W and W' are thus sustained in a proper positionto allow the weft-threads to pass beneath them by the lifting-bars X andX', eX`

cept at such times as the thread is `under them, when, by the depressionof the liftingbars X and X', the iingers W and W' are allowed to falland complete the electrical circuit by touching the wires h h h, unlessprevented from doing so by the presence of the weft-threads, possessingthe proper degree of tension.

When the breast-beam of the loom is made of iron or other metal, a coverof wood, as shown at L, Fig. l, may be used, to which the horizontalbearings of the spindle m m and the pins i i are attached, for thepurpose of more freely insulating the fingers W and W'. These iingersand the mechanism in immediate con# nection with them may be incasedwith wood or other suitable material, if desired, in order i to protectthem from dirt and lint.

Instead of arranging the levers y and y' and the pins s and s' asdescribed, the levers y and y' may be made to pass down, one upon eachside of the drum 1', and using a pin on each side, which may be of thesame length, and so placed as to strike the leversalternately-one withevery semi-revolution of the drum r. y

I do not claim as my invention the use of a circular shuttle-race, or ofa T-shaped rail forming part of the same; nor do I claim a curvedshuttle with a T`-shaped groove on its under side, adapting it to runupon such a shuttle-race, as these have' all been used; neither do Iclaim the use of sliding pins carried in vertical hollow cylinders, andcaused to move upward by suitable means for the purpose of engaging theshuttle and imparting to it a rotary motion.

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The stationary curved race, the curved shuttle, constructed andapplied to the race as described, the spindle P, the radial Vibratingarm Q', with its cylinders S S and pins R R, and the pin-actuatingannular plates b b, all arranged, constructed, and operating as setforth.

2. The spindle P, the radial arm Q', with its cylinders S S and pins RR, and the pinactuating annular plates b b, all arranged,

constructed, and operating in the manner de-

